


A Slip of the Tongue

by godcomplexfics (godtiercomplex)



Series: The World Keeps Turning On Its Axis [11]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-04-08
Packaged: 2018-03-21 20:29:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3704119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godtiercomplex/pseuds/godcomplexfics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He didn't come here expecting a fight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Slip of the Tongue

**Author's Note:**

> Other characters mentioned! [Check here for more information on them.](http://aphsouthasia.tumblr.com/bios)
> 
> Keshini aka Sri Lanka who I headcanon as being a few thousand years younger than Nalin and is thus right behind him in age. She's been mentioned before as 'not liking Nalin'. 
> 
> Tashi aka Bhutan who is one of the nations Nalin is closest with. 
> 
> Emran aka Bangladesh who somehow is my son. 
> 
> Afia aka Afghanistan who doesn't get along with Akmal at all. 
> 
> Iran is mentioned and not seen because I honestly don't know what to do with her as of right now. 
> 
> Anddd the appearance of more up to you if lovers or not RusInd.

To this day, Nalin wasn’t sure who had thought it would be a good idea to gather all the nations of the world and have them talk about their issues, as if that would fix anything. But he generally went along with it, because it was a good way to see what other people were concerned with and how he could further his own interests. In the past of course, that had all been left behind when he’d been made to sit next to Pakistan, but now that was different. They didn’t group them by who liked who, but by who could handle whoever the best. It was why he was on Pakistan’s left, Sri Lanka was on Pakistan’s right, and why Bhutan was on his other side.

He wasn’t expecting a fight, and Nalin wasn’t sure when that last inch had given and they had settled into an uneasy truce.

He took the seat marked out for him, and didn’t complain that the one remaining was for his tardy brother. That alone got him a few odd looks, and his phone rang with a text from Ivan. He reassured his friend that he was okay, just a bit tired, but it wasn’t anything a quick nap later on wouldn’t fix. He knew that he hadn’t really answered the question.

He hadn’t talked about this much with anyone really. There wasn’t any desire in his heart to admit that he and his brother had held each other and cried and admitted to having regrets. That was a family concern. He would say that they had taken a step forward, moving past their mutual hate at long last.

He felt lighter than he had in ages, and couldn’t help a small smile which got him a considering look from Keshini and a smile in return from Tashi at his side. Keshini was about to say something, he just knew it when Akmal fell into the chair between them and crossed his arms across his chest. Instead of talking to him, Keshini talked to their younger brother, and got him to uncross his arms and sit properly as they grinned mischievously at each other.

“Huh,” he said out loud before continuing thinking to himself that he had never thought he’d apply the word mischievous to anything Akmal had done after he had shot up and grown into someone that Nalin had hated.

The meeting began, and he became aware of how many people were looking at their section of the table. Unlike the rest of the family or regional groups, they hadn’t disturbed the meeting once. He knew that people were really looking at him and Akmal sitting quietly next to each other, and wondering when the storm would break.

He wanted to tell them that the storm had already ended, and all that was left was to repair the damage. But he stayed silent, and didn’t ignore Akmal as much as he didn’t have anything to talk about him with.

It almost reminded him of the past as the meeting progressed and the first break approached. But now, they weren’t united with hate against a mutual enemy, and now they weren’t making plans on how to survive, as they already were and would continue to do so. It wasn’t something he could draw a proper comparison to.

And then someone uttered the forbidden word and he tensed as Akmal stood up and repeated it in his most dangerous tone.

“You have no _right_ ,” Akmal said. Nalin had to turn around to see the small girl standing in her burqa and knew that she was frowning at Akmal even if he couldn’t see her face. Her eyes said it all.

Nalin agreed with Akmal in a way, Kashmir was just not a topic to be brought up here and now, but Akmal really didn’t need to be threatening Afia. She had every right considering where her country was in relation to Kashmir. He reached out and touched Akmal’s back before he thought about it, and said, “Stop making a scene.”

“Oh.” Tashi said beside him, and he thought, _fuck_ , as Akmal turned and frowned at him.

“Don’t tell me what to do, I didn’t start this.”

“Well,” and he shifted so that he was leaning on his chair and he could smile at Afia before sighing at Akmal, “You do have the power to end it, Akmal.”

He could feel Tashi looking at him, and he wasn’t looking at Akmal anymore, but at Afia with her green eyes widened in shock, and pointedly not looking at Keshini or at the rest of his siblings or the other Asians across the bend in the table. He knew that behind him, Emran might be looking betrayed, and he realized as Akmal spoke that the room’s volume had decreased to such a degree that he was sure people on the opposite side could hear them.

“Shut up, Nalin.” Akmal wasn’t sitting, but didn’t look like he was going to hit anyone, so Nalin kept talking.

“Stop being such a fucking child, you know I’m right.” That might have been the wrong thing to say, as Akmal crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

“You _think_ that you’re right. Doesn’t mean you’re right.”

Keshini laughed first, covering her face as she rested her brown face on her arms, and laughed as her black hair covered her shaking shoulders. Tashi pressed a hand to his shoulder, and he couldn’t see the look on his face, but he could hear the smile in his voice.

“It’s best to just let him think that he’s right, Akmal.” Tashi said, and Nalin felt a twist in his gut as Akmal smiled. When had they come to this and why couldn’t they have been like this always?

“You traitor,” he muttered, not attempting to keep it low or private, since that would only look more suspect. But he let Tashi’s comment slide as Akmal sat back down, and Afia titled her head in consideration. He was just as bemused as her body seemed to say.

“I don’t think he’s the only traitor,” she said in her husky voice. Nalin knew she wasn’t angry, more like concerned. He knew he would owe her an explanation later, and have to explain that while he still felt Akmal needed to be punched, he didn’t have quite as powerful an urge to do so.

“Go away,” Akmal said, and it was heated, but it was almost like an afterthought.

“Only because we’re starting again,” she assured him before taking her place next to Iran once more. He could feel Iran looking at him and Akmal, considering things, and he knew he would owe her an explanation as well.

Before the meeting was called to order by America and then Germany when America got out of hand, Ivan texted him again.

_I think we will be doing more than just napping, hm? It is not everyday you and young Pakistan do not get in a fight._

 

All he could say in response was: _I think that war is over now._

**Author's Note:**

> Akmal has totally told Yao all about him and Nalin's whole crying session because they tell each other everything. 
> 
> Ivan and Nalin respect each other's boundaries.


End file.
